Holiday Music

Summary:

This is also accidently the second chapter of Dec 2. Didn't know how to fix without losing comments... Sorry...

Work Text:

Dec 2: Holiday music

The tinny sound was pressing on his last nerve and he gritted his teeth. Oh, to pull his service weapon and put eight slugs into that speaker. The sound of the elevator stopping made him groan.

"Okay, DiNozzo. What crawled down your throat?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Tony pulled the stop button to release the elevator.

"I do." Gibbs slammed it again.

"I hate this song." Tony actually moved his hand to his weapon. "They've played it a hundred times today."

Gibbs stopped to listen. He had learned to tune out Christmas music. He winced. 'I'll be home for Christmas' was like shoving bad memories in front of Tony's face. Gibbs turned to Tony and the younger man was actually pulling his gun. "DiNozzo! You cannot shoot the speaker."

"It started it."

Gibbs almost give a sigh of relief as the song ended only for it to be followed by 'Baby, please come home.' He grabbed for Tony's wrist. "Okay, stair time." He released the button and punched the button for the next floor.

Gibbs had to admit his senior agent was sneaky. Somewhere between the second and third floor, DiNozzo had slipped past some other personnel and disappeared. Groaning, Gibbs debated heading for the elevator, but he had a very good idea where he'd find his agent.

"You could have walked with me."

"Thought you'd go to the bullpen." Gibbs quirked his eyebrow in a 'you know me better than lot' look. "Fine, just couldn't breathe." Tony gripped the rail around the top of the building. The agent had managed to get his legs out under it so that he could swing his legs while looking down.

Gibbs wasn't even going to attempt to copy Tony. He turned and leaned back against the rail, so he could look at Tony. "You've been in a foul mood all day."

"It's nothing."

"Tony, you almost decked a bell ringer today."

"He shouldn't have tried to grab me."

"He was offering you a candy cane." Gibbs sighed. Tony was the best partner Gibbs had ever had. His antics might seem infantile it kept the tension down and morale up. He'd only seen his senior agent in a mood like this twice before; when Shepherd died and one time that Tony had disappeared leaving a leave sheet on Gibbs' and Vance's desks. "Talk to me, DiNozzo."

"Just leave it."

Gibbs didn't like the way that Tony was tapping his gun. "Not going to leave it. Not going to leave you." Gibbs mentally spun the wheel. There were several possibilities. Wendy. Kate. Senior. His mother. "Senior coming to town?"

"What? Are you coming down with something?" Gibbs tried to look in Tony's eyes.

"Tired of pretending. Letting McGee and Ziva see what they want. Letting them put me down. Pretending to be the frat boy, the womanizer, the class clown."

"Stop pretending."

"It's not that easy, Gibbs."

"Tony," Gibbs touched the younger man's cheek. "There's more to this than McGee and Ziva. I've never seen you like today. Please, talk to me."

"Looks like we've seen the last of Senior. Got the official papers this morning."

"What papers?"

Tony reluctantly pulled a folded packet from inside his jacket and handed them to Gibbs. "Apparently this widow doesn't approve of homosexual deviants. Don't exactly know how he pulled them off but officially, I am no longer 'junior'. He would appreciate it if I would choose a new name and cease despoiling the DiNozzo name. Apparently, he has had to overlook my choice of employment long enough, he is not willing to overlook my abnormal relationships."

"Tony..."

"Hey, I chose to tell him. Can't say I'm totally surprised. It's just... today..." Tony shook his head. "At least the kids today were wanted. Their mom died trying to protect them. They wouldn't have even asked Senior. He'd have been like, 'if I move over here will you have a good shot?' I mean..." Tony shook his head. "Did I really almost knock out Santa?"

"Yep." Jethro smirked.

"Great. Now I'm on the naughty list." Tony frowned. "And I didn't even get a candy cane." A candy cane appeared in his side vision.

"How?"

"I explained to Santa we were on a homicide case involving children. He understood and sent you this. Asked him to stop by next week to pick up a few things."

"Thanks." Tony gave a faint smile. "Guess I'll do a bit of shopping this weekend to help the elves."

"Come here." Jethro straightened and moved away from the rail. "Come on." He motioned him.

" Uh..." Tony looked over the rail and then back to the older man.

"Do I want to know how you got in there?" Gibbs watched Tony try to wiggle back from the rail.

"Probably not." Tony admitted sheepishly.

Gibbs walked behind him, grabbing him by the waist and pulling Tony back against him. He walked slowly backwards until Tony could free his legs and then held him steady until his agent was steady on his feet. "Okay?"

"Yeah."

Whap! "Never do that again!" Gibbs moved away from the edge. "Here. Now."

"Gibbs." Tony rubbed the back of his head.

"Now, DiNozzo."

"One of these days you're going to give me a concussion."

"One of these days you're going to give me a heart attack." Gibbs reach out and grabbed Tony's tie pulling him forwards. "I know I've said this before and I know I'll say it again. Your father is an ass who doesn't know what he lost. I've told you before. Rule 5. Don't waste good."

"I'll be home for Christmas..." Jethro began to croon pulling Tony tight. "We both will..." Jethro whispered before singing, "you can count on me." He began to sway. "Always. Forever. Get it:" Tony began to follow the movements and laid his head on Jethro's shoulder. "Please have snow and mistletoe..."

Tony took a deep sigh. He let the feeling of contentment that being in Jethro's arms gave him began to melt the ice in his heart. "I'll be home for Christmas," he hugged Jethro. "If only in my dreams." Tony pushed away the doubts and fears and angry. Home was where the heart was, and his heart was with Jethro. He listened to Jethro's singing... "Where the lovelight gleams..." Tony pulled back, the lovelight gleam was in his love's eyes.